on the ice, but you could do mental repetitions all day long,” she said. “If a coach can make program walk-throughs and imagining a part of the skater’s routine, it is so valuable. The imagination is powerful and, if a skater falls in their mind, they can rewind and slow it down and do it again. Use their imagination to their benefit.” The other key component to being more comfortable with competition is to, well, compete. “Skaters are in a practice mindset about 90 percent of the time,” Miyata said. “The more they can experience being in that competition mindset— and the nerves that come along with it—the better.” Having a clear plan for the season that has been discussed and continuing to revisit that plan will keep expectations realistic and the skater clear on goals, which, in itself, can allow for a calmer mental state. “Skaters want to skate clean, and putting a new developmental element into a competition program can be a major source of stress,” she said. “Coaches know that skating is a marathon. It is a process and each step has value. It is important that they clearly communicate to the skater, ‘This is our goal for this element. This is why we are putting it in.’ Let the skater know that you don’t expect 100% consistency on an element that is less than 75% consistent in practice.” For instance, a coach might have a double Axel in a skater’s program for the first competition of the season, with the idea that the goal is to be landing it by Regionals. But, at the outset of the season, the skater does not “have” the jump yet. The almost-always elusive “clean” program will not happen and that is all the skater focuses on. Cue the freak out. “Be clear: We have this element in the program so that each competition can
“Skaters are in a practice mindset about 90 percent of the time,” Miyata said. “The more they can experience being in that competition mindset—and the nerves that come along with it—the better.”
be a stepping stone toward Regionals,” Miyata said. “Tell them that, at this first competition, you want them just to do the double Axel. It doesn’t matter if they land it, but just have the act of actually doing it in competition as the goal. The next competition can build on that. It takes the idea of perfectionism off the table and frees the skater up to do what they know how to do and to do their best at something they are still improving.” Circling back throughout the season can help the skater evaluate what is working and what isn’t, which also provides them with feeling in control of their routine. “Checkpoints after each competition can evaluate if the competition goal was met and what that means for the next competition so the skater is clear on what they are working for,” Miyata said. “It’s
also a good idea to check in on, ‘Did the off-ice and on-ice warm-up work for you? Do we need to tweak it?’” Putting the skater in the position to determine what they find comforting can be a powerful tool in their preparation arsenal. “I ask the skaters, ‘What do you want more of? What do you want less of?’” Miyata said. “More often than not the response is, ‘I want less freaking out.’ Then I ask them to evaluate what helped them when they started freaking out. When they began feeling anxious and upset, what did they do that took them out of that mindset and centered them? Whatever worked for them, we want more of that in their routine so they experience less of what they don’t want.” While coaches are sometimes reticent to involve parents too deeply PS MAGAZINE
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